At an emergency summit on the situation in Greenland on 22 January, EU heads of state and government praised the EU’s unity on the Greenland issue. They also welcomed US President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the imposition of increased tariffs on opponents of his policies, which underlines the importance of EU unity in defending common interests.
“The EU will continue to defend its interests and defend itself against any form of blackmail,” said European Council President Antonio Costa.
French President Emmanuel Macron, while praising the EU’s unity, called for “vigilance” despite the “acceptable” situation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would soon present an investment package for Greenland. She noted that the EU is preparing to allocate part of its defense budget for the acquisition of necessary equipment in the Arctic, in particular, a European icebreaker.
“We need to strengthen our security and defense agreements with partners in the region, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Iceland and others. For Greenland, this has become a geopolitical necessity,” Von der Leyen said.
The European Politico newspaper, citing sources, reported that the framework agreement on Greenland signed between US President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte provides for the creation of a special body to monitor resource extraction.
According to the newspaper, this will allow Russia and China to prohibit the participation of resource extraction in Greenland.
